Study: Energy Drinks Rot Your Teeth

They might give you a boost, but a new study shows that energy
drinks -- and, to a lesser extent, sports drinks -- literally cause your
tooth enamel to dissolve. Water, anyone?

The study, published in the May/June 2012 issue of General Dentistry, the peer-reviewed clinical journal of the Academy of General Dentistry, found that the consumption of sports and energy drinks is causing irreversible damage to teeth — specifically, the high acidity levels in the drinks erode tooth enamel, the glossy outer layer of the tooth.

“Young adults consume these drinks assuming that they will improve their sports performance and energy levels and that they are ‘better’ for them than soda,” says Poonam Jain, BDS, MS, MPH, associate professor and director of community dentistry at the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine and lead author of the study. “Most of these patients are shocked to learn that these drinks are essentially bathing their teeth with acid.”

Dr. Jain herself was surprised by the results of the study, she told HealthySELF. “We knew that energy drinks were acidic, but the fact that we were able to find such significant weight loss of enamel in just five days of simulated exposure — that was a big surprise,” she said. “I thought we weren’t going to see anything for a month or so.”

The researchers examined the acidity levels in 13 sports drinks and nine energy drinks, and found that the acidity levels can vary between brands and flavors. To test the effect of the acidity levels, the researchers immersed samples of human tooth enamel in each beverage for 15 minutes, then immersed the samples in artificial saliva for two hours. They repeated this cycle four times a day for five days, storing the samples in fresh artificial saliva at all other times.

After only five days, Dr. Jain and her team found considerable damage to the test enamel, and that energy drinks caused twice as much damage to teeth as sports drinks. According to the researchers, damage caused to tooth enamel is irreversible, and without the protection of enamel, teeth become overly sensitive, prone to cavities and more likely to decay.

The American Beverage Association issued the following statement slamming the study: “This study was not conducted on humans and in no way mirrors reality.” The group adds that people don’t keep any kind of liquid in their mouths for 15-minute intervals over five-day periods. “Thus, the findings of this paper simply cannot be applied to real-life situations,” the statement reads.

The ABA continues, “Furthermore, it is irresponsible to blame foods, beverages or any other single factor for enamel loss and tooth decay (dental caries or cavities). Science tells us that individual susceptibility to both dental cavities and tooth erosion varies depending on a person’s dental hygiene behavior, lifestyle, total diet and genetic make-up.”

Dr. Jain, however, disagrees. “It’s impossible to simulate the exact mouth conditions within experimental constraints, so this is the best we could do,” she explains. In terms of the amount of exposure, Dr. Jain explains that a pH value of lower than 5.5 is the point at which your tooth enamel starts starts dissolving. “The pH of your saliva acidizes when you drink one of these drinks,” she says, “and remains acidic for 20 to 30 minutes. “

In other words, after just one sip of an energy drink, your saliva remains acidic enough to dissolve your enamel for upward of 20 minutes. “And so, here’s how it works,” says Dr. Jain. “You take a sip, your pH drops below 5.5, your enamel starts to dissolve, right? In about half an hour, your body works really hard to get back to neutral. But no one ever waits half an hour to take another sip — you are taking many sips. Some people might drink it down quickly, and others may sip for half an hour to an hour!”

When it comes to taking care of your teeth, Dr. Jain recommends avoiding energy and sports drinks all together. “They do more harm than good,” she says, with the caveat that if you’re running a marathon or doing very strenuous exercise, a sports drink might be called for. “But don’t allow these drinks to crowd out the nutrient-dense beverages and foods from your diet, like milk, water and fresh raw fruits and vegetables,” she says.

If you do consume energy or sports drinks, Academy of General Dentistry spokeswoman Jennifer Bone, DDS, recommends chewing sugar-free gum or rinsing your mouth with water after you’re done. “Both tactics increase saliva flow, which naturally helps to return the acidity levels in the mouth to normal,” she says.

Finally — don’t think that brushing your teeth after a swig of an energy drink is going to help. You should wait at least an hour after consuming an energy or sports drink to brush — otherwise, says Dr. Bone, you’ll be spreading acid onto your tooth surfaces, increasing the erosive action.